


Catch and Release

by durinsreign



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Comfort No Hurt, Dwalin Is A Softie, Fireflies, Fluff, M/M, Nori is a Little Shit, Self-Indulgent, dwalin thinks nori is the cutest ever, just nori and dwalin having fun, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25186039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/durinsreign/pseuds/durinsreign
Summary: He wishes there was a way to come back to this exact moment as many times as he wanted, because there isn't anything he wouldn't give to see Nori all wide eyed and speechless over a bug with a light up arse landing on his nose.
Relationships: Dwalin/Nori (Tolkien)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	Catch and Release

**Author's Note:**

> Version not beta read, all mistakes are my own.

———————————————

Somewhere at the edge of a forest, Dwalin, son of Fundin, sat on a patch of soft grass with the head of a very content, star-haired thief in his lap. The sun was about to set, the sky a heavy blend of oranges and pinks as the clouds retreated out of sight.

Nori looked to Dwalin, and then to the sky, and then back to Dwalin, who, in turn, looked to him, and then to the grass, and back to him. And they stopped and shared a short, awkward laugh then stared into each other's eyes for a moment that felt so long, Nori had to turn away to look at something else. 

The colors around them faded from bright yellows to colder blues, the night approaching faster than Dwalin had anticipated. He wanted to stay a while longer.

Crickets chirped all over, the moon's light coming down like silk sheets. Silk sheets that Nori could reach out and take, keep it with him forever, have a piece of tonight in his pocket. 

Dwalin's hand raked through Nori's hair, feeling the red locks he'd dreamt of the months in between his inked fingers at last. It'd been a few weeks since he's gotten to have Nori all to himself like this. A few weeks since he's gotten time to do anything like this. 

One by one, or one, then twenty, or ten at a time, lights flickered from the long grass and bushes. None of them as bright as a fire, or a lamp, but enough to create a soft glow. And Dwalin knew what they were, as they flew curiously above and around them, fireflies being carried in unfelt currents, dancing onto a star studded stage. 

"Dwalin," Nori breathed, a hand reaching out to nothing, yet something; a hand reaching toward an insect and then retracting before said insect could land.

"Do you see them too?" Dwalin chuckled, as if he were going mad and Nori would say no. But he did see them too, and Nori nodded, with his head still in Dwalin's lap and his hand still up following the trail of a lightning bug as it flew in clumsy figure eights. 

"Yeah," a sigh. "I've never seen them before." Not like this, maybe, but Nori's seen them tens of times. Only, perhaps not at night, and certainly never before with Dwalin. 

"What are they?"

And then a gasp and Dwalin's looking down at Nori, who has the widest, saucer-y, size- of-the-moon eyes he's ever seen. And Dwalin thinks he's never seen anything so cute.

"Fireflies, I think." That's what Balin called them. _Fireflies_. Why? They don't even breathe fire.

"I _want_ one." Nori says after a minute. Dwalin cocks his head. 

"Want one?" And Nori smiles with no snarky malice.

"I want one."

"You'll have to catch one. Or two." Dwalin speaks offhandedly, watching Nori sit up and follow a specific bug with his eyes.

"Or three, or five." And it's becoming apparent to Dwalin that he's got a wee six year old sitting next to him, excited about catching shiny bugs.

"We don't even have a jar." 

His shoulders drop.

But then again, who ever said anything about keeping them?

"Ever heard of catch and release, Dwalin?" Nori grins, looking back at him, his hands already cupped around something. Light spilled through the gaps of his fingers as Nori turned his entire body to face Dwalin and show him.

When he opens his hands, a lone firefly flees from its captor and reunites with its friends. Dwalin laughs, shaking his head, because Nori was always fast. 

They both get up, Nori's lips curling into a shit-eating grin again, and Dwalin almost sighs audibly.

"First to catch one gets the last tea cake." Which isn't a fair wager, only because either way, Nori would be getting at least _half_ of said tea cake. But Dwalin relents, rolling his eyes with a playful smile before turning around so Nori could count.

"One… Two…" Nori's voice got further with each number, that damned thief was _always_ a little bit of a _cheater_.

"Three— Go!"

Dwalin focused on the nearest, low flying firefly, stalking it carefully, but not carefully enough, given his size. The poor bug could probably see him from miles off. It took him in circles and changed directions, once even brushing the tips of Dwalin's fingers, taunting him, daring him to close his fist and _kill_ it. 

_Catch and release._

Eyes so fixated on the light at the end of the bug, Dwalin hadn't even noticed when it abruptly flew up to avoid something. Something that bumped Dwalin right back and even spilled a string of curses as they fell on their asses. 

"Oh, sod off, what was that?!" Nori whined, rubbing his aching forehead with his palm. Dwalin sat with his eyes closed, inhaling through flared nostrils like he was ready to fight an entire swarm of those things.

"Stupid bug." Is all he says, bitter and annoyed.

"It's not the bug's fault," Dwalin could hear Nori's smile. "Big old giant like you chasing me… I'd make a run for it to—"

Nori yelps, surprised at the light jab to his shoulder. It was Dwalin telling him to shut up. And then Nori _does_ shut up and freezes in place. The tip of his nose felt awfully tingly, and Dwalin doesn't think he can hold his composure when he sees it.

He wishes there was a way to come back to this exact moment as many times as he wanted, because there isn't anything he wouldn't give to see Nori all wide eyed and speechless over a bug with a light up arse landing on his nose.

"Dwalin," there it is, the soft whisper of his name from Nori's lips. "Look."

"I'm looking." Dwalin leans back and watches him, frozen, but smiling wider than ever.

"Do you see it too?" The firefly resting on his nose, it's light flickering on and off and on and off again. 

"You've got one." Dwalin points out, remembering Nori's apparent need to have one of his own earlier. The realization is like a splash of giddiness, and Nori's eyes somehow get even bigger.

"I've got one." 

———————————————

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos appreciated!  
> Thank you for reading! <3


End file.
